Federal Reserve Board releases results of the 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances, providing the public and policymakers with detailed insights into the economic condition of American families

WASHINGTON—The Federal Reserve Board on Friday released the comprehensive results of the 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances, offering the public, researchers, and policymakers an exceptionally detailed and authoritative look into the financial health, wealth distribution, and economic well-being of American households.

Released at 10:00 a.m. EDT, the extensive dataset provides a representative, nationwide picture of what American families own, how and how much they borrow, and how they interact with the banking system. The Survey of Consumer Finances has served as a cornerstone of economic research for decades, having been undertaken every three years since 1989. Because of its triennial consistency, the project provides the public with a deep and reliable time series of thorough information, allowing economists to track long-term structural changes, generational wealth shifts, and the evolving financial resilience of families across the United States.

Alongside the raw survey data, the Board issued its official summary report, entitled Changes in U.S. Family Finances from 2022 to 2025. This accompanying publication provides a rigorous examination of how key economic indicators have shifted over the three-year period between the last survey and the current release. Specifically, the report evaluates nationwide trends in household income, aggregate and median net worth, accumulated assets, outstanding debt obligations, and overall financial vulnerability against the backdrop of shifting macroeconomic conditions.

The survey is designed to capture the complex financial realities of households across all economic strata. By gathering granular data on primary residences, retirement accounts, business equity, credit card debt, mortgages, and student loans, the Survey of Consumer Finances remains the premier source of information for understanding the distribution of wealth in America. Policymakers rely heavily on these findings to evaluate the impacts of monetary policy, inflation, and lending standards on everyday consumers, ensuring that economic assessments are grounded in empirical realities rather than broad assumptions.

To make the extensive data accessible to a wide audience alongside the primary report, the Board has deployed a variety of supplementary digital tools. An interactive chartbook displaying changes in these financial characteristics over time has been made available to the public online, allowing users to visualize trends in assets, liabilities, and income distribution across different demographic groups. Furthermore, additional microdata and documentation from the survey—covering a vast array of specialized economic conditions—are made available to academic researchers, financial analysts, and the general public through the Federal Reserve’s research portals.

The collection of this vital economic data is a massive undertaking, requiring meticulous planning and execution. The survey is conducted for the Board by NORC, a renowned social science research organization based at the University of Chicago. To ensure that the findings accurately reflect the diverse population of the United States, participants in the study are chosen at random from 119 carefully selected geographic areas. This scientific sampling procedure encompasses a diverse cross-section of the nation, including fast-growing metropolitan areas as well as rural counties across various states, ultimately striving to produce a sample that is fully representative of American families.

The rigorous methodology employed by NORC and the Federal Reserve ensures that the resulting dataset is statistically robust and capable of withstanding intense academic scrutiny. By reaching out to households directly through scientifically vetted protocols, the survey captures financial data that administrative records and aggregate macroeconomic indicators often miss, such as the distribution of wealth within specific income brackets and the prevalence of particular types of consumer debt among vulnerable populations.

For media inquiries regarding the release of the 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances, or for assistance accessing the accompanying reports, interactive chartbooks, and research data, the Federal Reserve Board has directed journalists to contact media relations via email at [email protected] or by telephone at (202) 452-2955.